The end for Ian Narev was inevitable. Even before the money-laundering accusations from Austrac emerged, the bank was trying to recover its reputation after scandals in its insurance and financial planning divisions.

More customers than ever are complaining if they're not happy. Whether it's bank fees or bad customer service, there are secrets to success so you get the best outcome every time, including free letters that put the law on your side.

'No reason' WA mergers will push up rates

The forced merger of Perth's local councils shouldn't lead to higher rates, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett claims.

There has been widespread opposition to the amalgamations, which Mr Barnett ruled out in his 2013 pre-election promises, with the matter of rate rises now high in the minds of the city's residents.

"I don't think there's any reason at all why amalgamations should force rates up and I'd hope over future years it would mean rates will stay lower than they otherwise would," the Premier told Fairfax radio on Thursday.

"Different communities may decide they want different levels of services and so that would affect the cost."

Debate over the mergers escalated in the West Australian parliament on Wednesday, with Liberal MP Simon O'Brien breaking ranks on the issue and the Nationals taking a swipe at the premier.

The opposition put forward a motion saying the amalgamations represented an abuse of the Local Government Act, which had never contemplated using boundary changes to merge councils.

Mr O'Brien use strong words in backing the motion.

Related Articles

"Treating the amalgamation of councils or the total abolition of one council and the absorption of that council's area and all its assets and everything else into another council as a boundary change is a contrived device which ... does not reflect well on those who conceived it as a tactic," he said.

"It does not reflect well on those within government who have espoused it.

"A couple of people in this town, associated with these tactics, should be hanged - twice - because they are not playing with a straight bat, they are not peddling the truth and they are almost certainly being stupid in the way they are going about it.

"I have not been happy with the motives, with the non-existent rationale nor the total absence of data in support of what is proposed."

Mr O'Brien also said the sudden sacking of City of Canning Commissioner Linton Reynolds nine months before his contract expired was not a good look for the government.

Mr Reynolds had criticised the plan to abolish Canning and meld it into neighbouring councils, but Mr Barnett denied that was the reason he was axed.

The government wasn't happy with how it was being managed, Mr Barnett said.

He also shrugged off a swipe from National MP Martin Aldridge, who believes - along with the rest of the party - that the premier will renege on a promise not to force mergers in the regions.

Mr Aldridge took umbrage that the premier suggested country people wanted them.

"I think we have without question a better understanding of our constituency than he does," Mr Aldridge said.

"Having a few acres and a few sheep in Toodyay does not qualify him in that regard."

Mr Barnett denied there was a Nationals revolt in government, telling reporters he was "not particularly" concerned by Mr Aldridge's comments and insisting slashing the number of councils across the state made sense.